Council held their first required workshop in the process to increase multi-modal impact fees Thursday morning. The discussion was tightly limited to determining if there was consensus among council members that “extraordinary circumstances” exist to warrant moving forward with increasing impact fees beyond 50% of the current rates. I previewed the presentation last week.

The city of Tampa hasn’t increased the fees since they were put in place in 1989. You read that correctly, for 26 years, the City of Tampa has been charging 1989 rates. Even after the impact fee was modified under the Buckhorn admin to include “multi-modal’ in 2014, the rate was increased. In essence, the city has subsidized development to the tune of nearly $140 million over the last 25 years. Currently the transportation impact fee in the city of Tampa—averaged across all districts—is $1,772. Adjusted for inflation in 2025 dollars that is $4,694. Hillsborough County updated their fee in 2022 for a single-family home in the urban core to $9,183. Manatee County updated their fees September 9, 2025 to $19,768 for a single-family home.

It was unanimously decided extraordinary circumstances exist and the process moves forward. A second required workshop is scheduled for the October 30 meeting. I assume how much more than 50% will be the subject of the next workshop as the next steps beyond that is a presentation before the planning commission and then first reading and final adoption hearings must be completed before December 31st. Regardless of the final number, the fee would go into effect 90 days after adoption and would be phased in over 4 years.

The rest of the information dense agenda was highlighted by the impacts of SB 180. While SB 180 was intended to be related to Emergency Preparedness and Response, there are a couple of provisions tucked in that relate to limiting “A more restrictive or burdensome amendment to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations.” That small section of the bill is what developers are using to fight any change at the local level regardless the spirit of the bill. I shared the story last week about the letter the state sent to Manatee County. but I think locally, nothing better demonstrates the abuse of this provision than the threatening letter sent to the city on behalf of some parking lot owners in Ybor City. Yes, parking lot operators are arguing that the implementation of new rules primarily focused around security—that went into effect prior to the hurricane—violate SB 180. Security related issues that were at the request of Tampa Police.

Thursday we learned the city had stopped enforcing the new regulations in July because of a letter from an individual representing one or more parking lots. Because the code is in the Land Development regulations. From my perspective our City Attorney is extremely risk adverse; part of t he provision in the bill allows “Provides that a resident or business may file suit against an impacted local government for declaratory and injunctive relief to enforce these provisions and provides procedures outlining such process.”

Asked if the city was considering joining any of the legal efforts to combat the bill, staff indicated the city was not. They are liaising with Florida League of Cities and mentioned efforts to try and have parts of the bill cleaned up in the next legislative season. Based on the letter the state sent Manatee county, that seems like wishful thinking.

SB 180 also spilled over into the discussion over the numerous proposed Land Development Code changes that have been working through the process for almost a year in some cases. A majority of the proposed changes were shelved as potentially running afoul of SB 180, at least in the broadest possible interpretation. All of the proposals are meant to solve real problems in the code and are not the result of anything stemming from post hurricane policies. Nonetheless our land use policy will continue to be paralyzed until either Tallahassee takes action or the voters do. It won’t matter who is elected mayor or to city council in 2027 if Tallahassee continues their take over local governments. Between dictating how we paint our streets to baseless accusations of misspending to usurping home rule, the current governor and legislature are making local governments inconsequential. Which is hard for me to wrap my 56 year Florida born head around.